Dragon Promotions chief Charlie Williams was genuinely pleased with the number of people who flocked to see the best players of pool gather together in the recently concluded King’s Cup held last week at the Resorts World Manila Complex in Paranaque City.
Known as a hotbed of billiards players, the Philippines also has a steady fan base following local and foreign cue artists alike. “We’re very happy with the turnout. We had a good crowd,” Williams said.
It should not have been a big surprise that many would go on and watch, but the Korean-American remains overwhelmed with the unwavering patronage of the Filipinos despite several hindrances that made traveling around Manila more tedious than usual. “We’re a little bit concerned with the APEC going on, [but] we still had a great turn out. Each day was packed. The fans are coming here to watch,” he observed. The tournament coincided with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit that was also staged in Manila, but it didn’t seem like it bothered the die-hard spectators.
As a result, the president of Dragon Promotion believes the players from both camps responded by putting on quite a show, especially during the last day.
Team Asia stormed back to pose a serious threat to Team West’s chances of winning, and Team West had to take the last match in similar come-from-behind fashion to conclude a thrilling series. “The players played their hearts out. You couldn’t really ask much more from the players. The matches were very exciting. We’re very happy,” he stated.
Looking forward, Williams thinks that the King’s Cup should become a tradition. The tournament was a resounding success, with the fans treated to classic pool showcase by legends and rising talents.
Aside from the King’s Cup, the promotion also produces the critically-acclaimed Queen’s Cup, a similar competition for women pool players. He guaranteed that those two would be at least the two main attractions in pool in the Philippines come next year.
